The Big Interview: Luke Donald

The Briton is happily settled in the United States, but has all the assets to become a home favourite at St Andrews. By Paul Forsyth

The short walk from the 18th green, up the steps of the clubhouse and into the sanctuary of the locker room, has been sent to try Luke Donald, what with autograph-hunters to oblige, press inquiries to answer, and all of them in greater number than he has been used to in the past. If recognition is a measure of his progress these past few months, the young Englishman has clearly come a long way.

An exile who has made his living on the PGA Tour, Donald has gradually established himself among the world’s most successful golfers, but his growing stature in the game only really hits him when he comes home. “That’s when you notice how things have changed,” he says. “More people recognise you, I can feel a buzz that I didn’t before, and it’s great because it means that I must be playing better.”